SPAINGOURMETOUR
Food, Wine & Travel Magazine
www.spaingourmetour.com
You will have to badger industry friends to get a look at their copies, but their web site is very good

So few magazines give serious attention to wine and food as a naturally symbiotic relationship. How can you cook great food and not give some thought to the wine/alcohol you would like to serve with it. The fact that what we would like to serve may frequently not coincide with what we can afford to buy doesn’t matter, it’s the thought that counts. SPAINGOURMETOUR is blatant promotion of all things Spanish and published by their Trade and Tourism, Ministry of Economy.
We can only wonder why our government isn’t as inventive (and stylish) promoting our own South Australian wine and food and travel industry. This is a real food magazine that makes no compromises as it deals with wine, winemakers, food, producers and chefs and inspired home cooks. It is a quality publication in every respect and inspirational for the chef and home cook alike. The images are just stunning.

Industry professionals should post their credentials to SPAINGOURMETOUR
apicius
international edition
published by Montagud Editores S.A, Spain
available by subscription in Australia from ecotel Adelaide email or telephone +61 8 8410 3633
$136 plus postage for two annual issues, next issue due in June 2009

Apart from nearly fainting at the price and immediately complaining that three good books could be purchased for the subscription price, after careful reading and examination I have to admit my opinion is changed. Unfortunately a lot of books and magazines about food and wine suffer in content because they are written by journalists, albeit with a passion for food and wine, but journalists without real subject knowledge. Given that apicius is pitched at the professional chef the text is rather mundane and there are quite a few typos that for the price should not be there. However, what the Montagud publishing house has managed to do is bridge the difficulty of modern publishing and the electronic media and includes web sites, u–tube references and much more. These contemporary references provide an immediate journey elsewhere, that just a few years ago would have been a very different experience. This is a very very clever publication! Ten years ago the article and recipe referencing at the back of the magazine would have left the reader with a list of books that may well have lead to credit card melt down and the annoyance of waiting for weeks for books to arrive from overseas because they were never stocked in Australia. Instead apicius is referenced to the appropriate web sites and don’t be surprised to find yourself justifying your subscription to a partner fed up with your bringing home more books about food by how much money you have saved. Lol!
apicius is a class publication delivering good information and recipes from the world’s current “kick–arse” chefs. Lots of modern techniques, the magazine refreshingly introduces some brilliant, less well known exponents of modern cuisine. A beautifully designed, quality publication printed on quality paper with stunning photographs there is a lot to like about apicius. Anyone with an obsession for food and wine will not be able to resist apicius however an English language editor with a real grasp of cuisine would greatly improve the written content.

added May 23, 2009

 

SAVEUR
Subscription www.saveur.com and select local news agencies
9 issues for $37.95USD which is approximately $51.00AUD
Their website is excellent and subscribing is well worthwhile

This is the only food magazine left in the world for those of use who are tired of totally dumbed–down cooking. Fantastic authentic recipes collected from all over the world from cooks and chefs who know their stuff and are happy to give recipes that work and no tortured images that look like someone has been brushing all the ingredients with gunk to make them shine. My copies have been carefully collected over many years and are treasured for the recipes they have given me. They are the revisited memories of my travels or instil in me the determination to visit yet another destination for the sole purpose of eating something they have shown. We spent 10 days in Venice following the SAVEUR advice and ate the most fantastic food for a fraction of the price we had expected to pay. SAVEUR is food written and researched by people who honour its history and celebrate its traditions. This magazine satisfies those of us who truly love to cook and those who just love to read about cooking. But, if you fall into the latter category perhaps you should also buy your favourite cook a subscription as they are bound to be inspired.

SLOW
The International Herald of Taste
The Magazine of the Slow Food Movement
Subscribe on–line www.slowfood.com

There are a lot of reasons to be a member of the Slow Food Movement. The opportunity to meet like-minded people who believe in the preservation of food culture and the need for preservation, even resurrection of food traditions, share their experience, and yours. However, one of the most important reasons to belong to Slow Food is their publication, which has some the best and most interesting writing about gastronomy in the world today. Sometimes themed, always eclectic, always outspoken, SLOW is a stylish publication printed on beautiful paper with wise and interesting words, exquisite photography and artwork. Three issues a year are part of the membership an absolute bargain, so join now!